If you’re dropping by this blog but are not familiar with who we are or what we do, here’s a little introduction.

UCLA Extension is the continuing education arm of UCLA. Here in the visual arts program, we offer open enrollment courses in fine art (including drawing, painting, mixed media, etc), art history, and photography. That means that anyone can enroll – you don’t have to be a UCLA student, and there’s no formal application process to go through. We program our own classes, separately from campus (although we do offer courses that carry UC transfer credit), and our instructors are working professionals in their fields.

Most of our courses are offered on weekday evenings, or on weekends, and our students are largly working professionals who have a passion for the arts and want to keep their practice active, or just learn more about figuration, Photoshop, or the masters of the Renaissance.

You can see samples of our students’ work on this blog, and a few instructor images included below. Click here to see what we’re offering this quarter. There are courses appropriate for all experience levels, and we provide a classroom environment that is supportive yet challenging.

Questions about the program? Call (310) 206-1422 to speak with an advisor.

“I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.”

– Steve Jobs, on calligraphy

There are many reasons we think it’s important to offer calligraphy here at UCLA Extension, but one of them is its vital connection to design. A strong understanding of hand-letting and typography are a powerful tool for any designer, and the application of those skills can translate into print pieces, advertising, logos, or even, in the case of Jobs, computer design (many consider Macs the first computers to employ sucessful typography).

Carrie Imai has been leading the class successfully for several quarters, and teaches a new alphabet during each session. This spring she will offer the Italic alphabet (characterized by elegant, fluid letterforms). We encourage design students to consider this elective option, as well as anyone interested in gaining skill and learning more about handlettering.

Some samples of Carrie’s work are below. To enroll in this winter’s class, click here.

Okay, so it’s not free like your local public library, but for $20 you can have library privileges at UCLA. You have to present proof of current enrollment (every quarter) and a photo ID at either Young Research Library or Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library to get a library card. This could be well worth it when you’re enrolled in say, Design History and Context.

Also, in terms of resources, if you haven’t spent a lot of time browsing the back pages of the UCLA Extension catalog (General Information), may I suggest you do so. It’s a good orientation into what resources are available and how to go about certain administrative tasks. It’s a reference I use often!